The Gatlin Brothers – All the Gold in California

The song was the first of two number one singles for Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers Band. The single stayed at number one for two weeks and spent a total of ten weeks on the chart.

Cover LP The Gatlin Brothers Columbia 1979
Cover LP The Gatlin Brothers Columbia 1979

«All the Gold in California» is a song written by Larry Gatlin, and recorded by American country music group Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers Band. It was released in August 1979 as the first single from the album Straight Ahead. The song was the first of two number one singles for Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers Band. The single stayed at number one for two weeks and spent a total of ten weeks on the chart.

This song was written while Larry was in a traffic jam in Los Angeles; the song goes on to warn the listener that all the gold in the state «is in a bank in the middle of Beverly Hills in somebody else’s name» and that attempting to make it big in California carries a risk of failure that could personally devastate one’s resolve. On January 19, 1985, Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers Band sang the song at the nationally televised 50th Presidential Inaugural Gala, the day before the second inauguration of Ronald Reagan.



From the album Straight Ahead
B-side «How Much Is a Man Supposed to Take»
Released August 1979
Genre Country
Length 2:37
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s) Larry Gatlin
Producer(s) Larry Gatlin, Steve Gatlin, Rudy Gatlin




The Gatlin Brothers – All the Gold in California Lyrics

All the gold in California
Is in a bank in the middle of Beverly Hills
In somebody else’s name
So if you’re dreamin’ about California
It don’t matter at all where you’ve played before
California’s a brand-new game

Tryin’ to be a hero, winding up a zero
Can scar a man forever right down to your soul
Living on the spotlight can kill a man outright
‘Cause everything that glitters is not gold

And all the gold in California
Is in a bank in the middle of Beverly Hills
In somebody else’s name
So if you’re dreamin’ about California
It don’t matter at all where you’ve played before
California’s a brand-new game

All the gold in California
Is in a bank in the middle of Beverly Hills
In somebody else’s name
So if you’re dreamin’ about California
It don’t matter at all where you’ve played before
California’s a brand-new game
A brand-new game

Single The Gatlin Brothers Columbia 1979
Single The Gatlin Brothers Columbia 1979
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